MP3 blog 2010/01/13

blog 2010/01/13 - I'm just exhausted from the act of being polite.

Life is so incredibley hectic, but here I am, still chugging away. The old patterns hold us in place, and give us some foundational strength.

I guess the prevailing theme of this update is covers and blatant samples...


Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Graceland: The classic Paul Simon track gets the lofi rework! I haven't been a huge fan of CFTPA since their earlier stuff, but the 2009 collection Advance Base Battery Life has a couple pop gems on it.
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Lesley Gore On The T.A.M.I. Show (Version): This kind of honest and unapologetically mopey lofi music sends me back to first hearing Eric's Trip. And this track here reminds me of Au Revoir Simone, except without the retro kitsch, and banging snares.

Chiddy Bang - All Things Go: Oooooooh shit! You know those opening notes. They send shivers down your spine. It's SUFJAN STEVENS, looped and chopped and dropped.
Chiddy Bang - Kids: OK, so perhaps the writ could be a bit tighter and elevated, but the beats are irresistible.

Elbow - Running To Stand Still: This comes from the benefit album War Child Presents Heroes, which altogether is a huge dissapointment, but this one stands out. An album of great artists covering tracks by classic rock artists? How could they have gone so wrong? This U2 cover is the reward. And seriously, it's been a while since we heard from Elbow, and I'm so glad that they at least delivered the goods.

Jemapur - Maledict Car: Just a straight-ahead bumping instrumental track here. Love the skitter, love the breathing pulses.

Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo: This dope little stepper is super awesome. Hella awesome. Great sounds, great subbass, super happy chopped vox. All my favourite things. But best track of 2009? Maaaaaan, why do we have to do this? Stupid Resident Advisor making claims... Now all I want to do is tell them why they're wrong and jeez look at the rest of their list, are they serious? OK OK, some decent tracks, but lots of derivative fluff. And it's not like this track will melt the world or anything. BUT, still a great track.

Mokira - Lord, Am I Going Down: In the style of Ekkehard Ehlers' Plays series, the delayed loops seems to tumble over each other. Then near the end we get a Basinki-esque degradation. An ambient homage pieces? From the 2008 LP Persona.

Nat King Cole - Day In Day Out ft Cut Chemist: I got this album with the fullest expectation of it sucking and being uber cheesey and poorly done, but then it kind of caught me off guard. There was some solid stuff on here. Take Nat King Cole's old recordings, jam them up with some new beats, and do some duets on top of his timekless crooning. It actually works. And hell, you never had any doubts about Cut Chemist.
Nat King Cole - Straighten Up And Fly Right ft Will.I.Am & Natalie Cole: And it's great to hear Natalie Cole going on top of one of her father's most famous songs. While certainly not completely stellar, this album is a guilty pleasure for Nat King Cole fans like myself, and is worth checking out for the 6 songs on it that I guarantee you'll love.

Rufus Wainwright - Smile: Like the Elbow track above, another one salvaged from the mixed-quality War Child Presents Heroes comp. This one makes me especially happy since the song is by Brian Wilson, and of the roster on the comp, only Rufus here could give it the beautiful damage it demands.

Sigur Ros - Untitled #1 (Vaka) (3rd Remix): A little treat from the Vaka 3" CD that came out in 2003, a wonderfully minimal remix of slow moving strings. So. Good.

The Whip - Frustration (Hearts Revolution Remix): Hearts Revolution add their grittier party-the-fuck-up kind of vibe to this 80s-inspired pop number. Like Billy Idol for the 21st century.

Two Fingers - Bad Girl ft Ce'cile (King Canibal Remix): Two Fingers' self titled album goes on the list of amazing albums frmo 2009 that I didn't hear until 2010. Dayyam.
Two Fingers - Better Get That ft Ms. Jade: The MCs drop heat, the beats are banging, and there is variety and cohesiveness.
Two Fingers - Jewels & Gems ft Sway: Highly recommended for fans of BOTH hiphop and grime. I know I know, daring.

Wintersleep - Miasmal Smoke & The Yellow Bellied Freaks: Busting out some post-rocky chops for the first few minutes, this track then explodes forth with some pop edge and The Twilight Sad insiration.
Wintersleep - Weighty Ghost: Stompin', Clappin', and chanting'. A great recipe for a Canadian classic. These are both from the 2009 album Welcome To The Night Sky. I didn't find the entire album engaging, but check it out if you like these.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker: The final orphan from War Child Presents Heroes, how could I resist this one?



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS:

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Graceland
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Lesley Gore On The T.A.M.I. Show (Version)
Chiddy Bang - All Things Go
Chiddy Bang - Kids
Elbow - Running To Stand Still
Jemapur - Maledict Car
Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo
Mokira - Lord, Am I Going Down
Nat King Cole - Day In Day Out ft Cut Chemist
Nat King Cole - Straighten Up And Fly Right ft Will.I.Am & Natalie Cole
Rufus Wainwright - Smile
Sigur Ros - Untitled #1 (Vaka) (3rd Remix)
The Whip - Frustration (Hearts Revolution Remix)
Two Fingers - Bad Girl ft Ce'cile (King Canibal Remix)
Two Fingers - Better Get That ft Ms. Jade
Two Fingers - Jewels & Gems ft Sway
Wintersleep - Miasmal Smoke & The Yellow Bellied Freaks
Wintersleep - Weighty Ghost
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker


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~CPI